Anne Bredon

One of the reasons Jimmy Page liked the name “Led Zeppelin” was that it suggested music that was both light and heavy. Jimmy Page’s vision for the group was to mix heavy, blues-based rock with acoustic, folk-influenced music. In their initial meeting, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant played a number of songs to introduce their musical tastes to each other. One of the songs Jimmy Page chose was an acoustic folk song Joan Baez had performed called “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You”. Jimmy Page knew from the start that he wanted to rework this song in a style that would become characteristic of Led Zeppelin, contrasting heavy rock with the lighter acoustic sections. “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” was included on Led Zeppelin I with the songwriting credits “Traditional, arr. Page”. On recent reissues, however, this song is now also credited to Anne Bredon.Continue reading →